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Airplane with History
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 605
Julio Arróspide Rivera
Aviation Art & History
Airplane with History: Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 605
First Edition. August 2022.
Legal Representative:
Julio Arróspide Rivera
ISBN:
9798847069687
Graphic Design:
Julio Arróspide Rivera
Mail: julio.arrospide@aviationarthistory.com
Printed by Amazon KDP
All rights reserved, prohibited the total or partial reproduction of this book in any means of distribution without prior permission of its
authors.
COPYRIGHT information
***NOTICE***
“No effort was spared to trace down the original owners/authors of the pictures in this book in order to give them full credit and to obtain
authorization for publication. This, however, in some cases turned out to be impossible due to the age of some of the images. If someone
takes the credit that he is the rightful owner of a copyright on one or more pictures published in this book pages please contact the authors.”.
Airplane with History
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 605
Cessna A-37B No. 605 (S/N 74-1003) from
Chilean Air Force
This was one of 44 Cessna A-37B Dragonfly operated
by the Chilean Air Force (FACh) between 1975 and
2009. However, this aircraft continues to operate until
today, but in the Salvadoran Air Force, accumulating
more than 47 years of service.
Peace Andes 1
At the beginning of the convulsed 1970s, the FACh
was seeking to recover its operational capabilities to
face the great advantage of the Air Forces of Argentina
and Peru, product of the limitations imposed by
the Military Assistance Program (PAM) by the US
government.
The old F-80C/T-33A Shooting Star flew their last
hours of flight and only the arrival of the Hawker
Hunter came to recover the degree of readiness
to face the neighborhood crises that were on the
horizon, especially the signals given by the Peruvian
government, which began to arm itself to the teeth
with Russian weapon systems, causing an obvious
regional imbalance.
In 1972 negotiations began with the United States with
the new mechanism for the acquisition of weapons
through the FMS, which allowed the purchase of
weapons systems in a more expeditious way. The
FACh requested a batch of sixteen Cessna A-37B
Dragonfly attack aircraft to equip the Aviation Group
No. 1, along with Cessna T-37C advanced trainers
to reinforce the flight instruction in the Aviation
School. This procurement was delayed by the change
of government in 1973 and resumed in 1974.
Cessna A-37B No. J-605 from Aviation Group No. 1 at the beginning of its operational
life in 1976, carrying four 500 pounds bombs during a tactical polygon exercise. (Vía
Sergio Molina C.)
Mechanics and specialists from Aviation Group No. 1 in front of Cessna A-37B
No. J-605, which evidences the change of the rudder, belonging to another aircraft,
and that does not match its painting pattern. (Vía Julio Arróspide R.)
(Rino Poletti Collection)
The project was called “Peace Andes 1” and the planes
began to be built in 1974. That same year, pilots and
specialists were sent to the United States to conduct
flight instruction courses and the respective training
in the maintenance of the subsystems of the new
weapon system.
The Kennedy Amendment
This project was almost unsuccessful because of the
implementation of the “Kennedy” Amendment,
which was a measure adopted by the U.S. government
to punish South American military governments for
violations of human rights. Fortunately, the contracts
were respected because they were signed before the
amendment came into force.
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly No. 605 from Aviation Group No. 12, during its
participation in FIDA 1988, using the first version of the “Austral” painting scheme.
(Via Anselmo Aguilar)
Neighborhood crisis with Peru
The arrival of these planes was providential, since the
Peruvians were determined to recover the territories
lost in the War of the Pacific and had concentrated a
large force of armored vehicles in southern Peru and
their planes began to violate Chilean airspace.
Quickly, the Tactical School of the Aviation Group
No. 1 began preparing fighter pilots in the new attack
aircraft, which were instructed by the pilots who took
the instructor course with USAF pilots with combat
experience during the Vietnam War. At the same
time, instructors and new pilots began to prepare war
plans to confront the Peruvian Air Force and provide
support to Chile’s land and naval forces.
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly No. 605 from Aviation Group No. 12, taxiing at Los
Cerrillos Air Base, Santiago, after an aerial formation training flight. (Rino Poletti
B. Collection)
(Andrés Contador K.)
Transfer to Aviation Group No. 12
Cessna A-37B No. J-605 faces the crisis of 1978
deployed in different redeployment airfields in the
Chilean North with the mission of attacking Peruvian
and Argentine targets. After the crisis, the plane
received a change in its painting scheme, with lighter
tones and a new pattern of spots, decreasing the size of
the numerals and the application of stencils in Spanish.
In 1981 its registration was simplified, removing the
prefix “J”, remaining as No. 605.
In mid-1982 it was transferred to Aviation Group
No. 12 and from 1984 it began to sport the first version
of the “Austral” painting scheme, with a medium green
color base with dark green spots and a large numeral
format in white color.
In 1992 it was commissioned to the Aviation Group
No. 3 at the Maquehue Air Base in Temuco, for
training the crews that would transfer in flight ten
OA-37B aircraft acquired to the United States. Once
the new fleet was operational, 605 was returned to
Aviation Group No. 12.
In 1996, the A-37B fleet was the first to employ its
self-transfer capability through In-Flight Refueling
operations.
Cessna A-37B No. 605 on the flight line of Aviation Group No. 3, which was
reactivated at the Maquehue Air Base in Temuco, waiting for the arrival of ten
Cessna OA-37B acquired from the United States in 1992. (Rino Poletti B. Collection)
Exercise Crucex III
Cessna A-37B No. 605 during a static presentation at Chabunco Air Base, Punta
Arenas. It shows the arsenal of tactical charges that the aircraft could employ. (Via
Julio Arróspide R.)
Cessna 605 was part of the six FACh’s A-37B from
Aviation Group No. 12 that self-transferred to
Annapolis, Brazil, to participate in the multinational
Exercise Crucex III, in August 2006.

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